Topic: sapphire

Glassmaker Corning on Friday unveiled "Project Phire," a glass composite that the company says is just as strong and drop-resistant as its latest Gorilla Glass but nearly as scratch-resistant as sapphire.

Mobile device manufacturers may finally have a reason to evaluate sapphire on an equal footing with traditional strengthened glass, as a new method of dealing with sapphire is said to have lowered its reflectivity significantly.

After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October, former Apple sapphire supply partner GT Advanced is now seeking approval to mete out millions of dollars in executive bonuses as part of an employee retention program.

A lawyer representing sapphire maker GT Advanced Technologies on Monday said the company has agreed to a new set of terms in its settlement with Apple, with the redrafted arrangement assuaging concerns from jilted creditors seeking to derail proceedings by threatening legal action against Apple.

Several Taiwanese sapphire manufacturers have seen their stock price increase sharply in recent days as Chinese media continues to push reports of the material making its way to a next-generation Apple handset.

Secret documents being shared by Apple with creditors of former sapphire partner GT Advanced Technologies could become a matter of public record next month, as part of the ongoing bankruptcy proceedings.

In the wake of the collapse of sapphire maker GT Advanced Technologies, longtime members of Apple's supply chain have characterized the iPhone maker as a tough but fair partner who offers component makers a chance at success, provided they take proper precautions.

Apple supplier Corning on Thursday took the wraps off of its next-generation Gorilla Glass 4, which the company says is up to two times harder than competing glasses used in existing smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices.

Following bankruptcy court filings that seek to postpone Apple's settlement agreement with GT Advanced, a report on Wednesday reveals inside details on why the ambitious sapphire production project went south.

Creditors backing GT Advanced Technologies have successfully pushed back an approval date for the company's settlement with Apple, saying an investigation will determine whether the sapphire maker was given short shrift in the agreement.

Adding background to Apple's vow to keep as many jobs as possible at its Mesa, Ariz., sapphire plant leased to GT Advanced, a new report says the facility will be repurposed, suggesting some current employees may be able to continue work at the location.

While rumors that Apple would incorporate sapphire into its latest iPhone 6 flagship handset failed to materialize, the company is continuing work on such a solution, according to a patent application uncovered on Thursday.

Though bankrupt sapphire maker GT Advanced Technologies has accused Apple of crafting a "classic bait-and-switch" deal, newly unsealed court documents reveal Apple's side of the story, with the iPhone maker claiming it did everything it could to help the struggling supplier.

In an attachment to its quarterly 8-K filing, GT Advanced Technologies said the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is conducting an inquiry into the company's security trading practices and sapphire business.

Testimony from chief operating officer of GT Advanced Technologies reveals that the company lost $461 million before it filed for bankruptcy -- a course that the company asserts was the result of "unsustainable" contracts in which it assumed all of the risk, while Apple took none.

Beleaguered Apple supplier GT Advanced Technologies has suggested it would prefer to sue the iPhone maker rather than reach a settlement, but going to court would be too "challenging and expensive" for the company to pursue.

Apple fans still hoping the company will adopt a scratch-resistant sapphire cover for the iPhone in the near future should temper their expectations, as one display expert believes the impressive anti-reflective glass coating on the iPad Air 2 display is instead the way of the future.

Following the news that GT Advanced Technologies will spend up to four years paying back Apple's $439 million prepayment, Apple has revealed that the two companies were working on a new method of manufacturing sapphire that never actually went into production.